A fine and rare third quarter of the 18th century mahogany quarter repeating table timepiece with deadbeat escapement Grant, Fleet Street. Supplied by Thwaites circa 1769.
Grant, Fleet Street. Supplied by Thwaites circa 1769.Surmounted by a brass handle over an intricately moulded cornice, side glazed apertures and brass lined front corners and door, on a plinth base and brass ogee bracket feet, the 6.75 inch arched one-piece silvered dial signed and numbered John Grant, London 152 over the engraved Roman and Arabic chapters, with matching blued steel hands and a chamfered date aperture, the single gut (now wire) fusee movement with substantial shouldered plates united by five knopped pillars and stamped to the front plate 'THWAITES 423' , the backplate engraved with a Neo-Classical urn enclosed by symmetrical foliate scrolls, the retaining brackets, hammer spring, repeat spring and pendulum holdfast block all similarly engraved, with deadbeat escapement and pull repeating the hours and the quarters on a run of three bells via three hammers set on a spring-loaded arbor 43cms (17ins) high.